I believe if you really want to do something, you find a way to work it into your schedule. There are so many people that talk about how they can’t do things because they are too busy. They’d love to workout, but they are too busy. Or, they wish they could read more, but (you guessed it) they are too busy.
I agree with the fact that it might be hard to find time for certain things, but if we’re really being honest, it is more of a priority issue than a time issue.
I love the quote by H. Jackson Brown Jr: “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
Okay Mr. Brown, good point. So if I agree with this, why do I always say I’d love to just relax, but I never find the time? Recently, it dawned on me that I don’t make relaxation a priority.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, I was presented with three wide open days with no solid plans. What a luxury! So what did I do? Well, I quickly tried to fill them with as many things as possible! I needed to maximize my downtime!!
As normal, every morning started with 7:30 am spin class, because I wanted to get a jump on my day. Then there was grocery shopping for the week, laundry, cleaning the house extra well because family was coming later in the week, trips to the farmers’ market, working on my blog, brunch with friends, you name it.
All great things- many were fun and others are the normal chores of being a grown-up- but what about that “downtime” I always say I wish I had more of?
Well turns out I don’t make it a priority. Why not? I think part of it is my very structured personality, but I think another part of it is that I have a hard time just being still.
I feel value by contributing, and when I feel I’m not, my confidence waivers, doubt seeps in, and I feel a little lost.
Instead of enjoying a lazy day, I feel like I’m wasting time. Instead of an afternoon nap, I feel guilty laying down and getting the rest my body needs, so I push through.
While there is a lot to be said for making the most of the day and being proactive, I also think it’s important to realize that there is no grade given at the end of this life for accomplishing the most- or never resting.
In fact, there just isn’t a grade at all. And if I’m feeling overwhelmed, or unable to relax, it’s because I didn’t make a little downtime a priority.
Now, am I the type to lay around all day? No, that doesn’t bring me a lot of joy.
But should I feel comfortable enough in my own skin to take half of a day over a long weekend and just read a book, take a nap, and let the day flow? Yes, those are things I should do. Especially because I, like so many others, claim to want to do this so badly.
We all need to unplug at times. You deserve to book a few hours every week to just be.
It’s not easy. There will always be an errand you can run, or something you see that needs to be dusted the very moment you sit down. But instead of reacting, just breathe. Know your worth and get a little down time. For me that means blocking off a few hours without the iPhone, TV or doing chores.
Not because there aren’t things to do, but because I acknowledge there will always be things to do. And no one is going to die if I spend a few hours getting in a good nap or reading a book.
So I’m going to take my own good advice and start blocking off a few hours every weekend to do just that.
Bonus points if I don’t feel guilty afterwards- Progress, not perfection, right??
